…odds & ends from the collection.

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Reitba

Last Sunday, I turned on the radio toward the end of “From the Top,” a public broadcasted program featuring talented young musicians. I caught part of a remarkable piece played on the double-bass by 15-year-old Kyoe Wellington.

Kyoe Wellington at Carnegie Hall

When I got home I couldn’t recall the name of the piece or the composer but through the miracle of the internet located a recording of Ms. Wellington’s “From the Top” performance of François Rabbath’s “Reitba.”

I was touched both by the young woman’s playing and by the beautiful piece. Further research turned up a YouTube video of the composer, François Rabbath, playing “Reitba” with an orchestra. I had never heard such sounds from a bass.

Even further research uncovered Rabbath recordings ranging from Bach suites to truly avant garde jazz. Rabbath developed and has written extensively about new methods of fingering and bowing the string bass and gets amazing range and tonalities from his instrument. I plugged his name into Spotify and turned up several of his albums and individual pieces.